Driver's licenses are widely used as proof of identity. With the increase in identity theft, there is a need to enhance the reliability of driver's licenses as an identity proof.
There are two classes of issuance systems for driver's licenses: over the counter (OTC) and central issue (CI).
Over the counter issuance systems print the license at the office where the applicant applied—usually while the applicant waits. The office is equipped with one or more data capture systems (e.g., photo camera, signature capture station, fingerprint sensor, etc.) and an ID card printer. After the applicant has established entitlement to a license, an operator captures a photo (and optionally a signature and/or a biometric, such as fingerprint), and causes a license to be printed. Data captured during the application process is relayed to a state database, where it can be used for law enforcement and other activities.
Central issue systems differ in that the license is not issued at the time of application. Instead, data is captured at the office, and sent to a central printing facility. That facility then prints the card and mails it to the applicant at the address printed on the license.
The problem of minimizing fraud in issuance of driver's licenses is a challenging one. The persons involved with license issuance are often hourly employees, who are relatively unskilled in document forensics and fraud investigation. They face large volumes of work, with which they must deal in relatively short periods of time.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, tools are provided to reduce the incidence of fraud in driver's license issuance. Some such tools aid in validating an applicant's identity, or in identifying some applicants for escalated levels of scrutiny. Other tools aid in tracking incidences of particular types of fraud in identification documents so that countermeasures can be developed to thwart the most likely sources of fraud.